Double-derail appliance.



L. J. KIEPFER. DOUBLE DERAIL APPLIANCE. APPLIGATION FILED APE.10, 1911.

1,000,680, Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I Wi nesses dam /1 L. J. KIEFFER. DQUBLE DERAIL APPLIANCE. APPLICATIONFILED ATBJO. 1911.

Pafiented Aug. 15, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

DOU BLE-DERAIL APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

Original application filed ZEebri'iary 8, 1910, Serial No. 542,779.Divided and-this application filed April 19.

I 1911. Serial No. 620,108.

To all whom it may concern? Be it known that I, LoUIs J. KIEFFER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Bowling Greemin the county ofWarren and State of Kentucky, have invented certain newand usefulImprovements in Double-Derail Appliances, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates'to safety devices for railways at theirsidings,.and more specifically to a particular arrangement ofcooperating derailers.0ne located in the main track and the other in thesiding and to the special construction of these derailers.

This application is practically a division of application Serial Number542,779,

My object is to provide means for efiectually safeguarding trainsagainst a large class of accidents which are liable to occur inconnection with or on account of rail.- wny sidings on main tracks,such, for instance, as hea'dend collisions and rearend collisions insidings; rolling stock on either the main track or siding runningthrough a closed switch and splitting the same; a train on the maintrack running intoatrain moving into or out of the siding; and a trainon the main track sideswiping rolling stock fully inthe siding butstanding too near the end thereof. 1

My invention consists in certain novel parts and combinationshereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanyingdrawings.

An important feature of myinvention is the combination with a mainrailwaytrack and its cooperating siding, of a derailer for each track,said derailers being connected witlrtlie switch operating mechanism andso .related to the switch points and to each other that when eithertrack is opened and 'the other thereby closed, their respectivederailers will'also be opened and closed simultaneously therewith, topermit the unobstructed passage of trains on the open track and toforbid the passage of trains into or too near the end of the closedswitch on the other track.

Another object is to provide a deraile'r so constructed that-if theoperating mechanism connected therewithshould get broken the derailerwill automatically move away from the track and will not shiftaroundonto the track where it would be a menace to any rolling stockthat might happen to pass. v

- likewise so related to tlie every time the derailers are moved, the o.

that, whenever either one Other objects will appear in the subjoineddescription.

Special attention iscalled to the fact that my arrangement 'not onlyprovides a derailer for each track,whereas heretofore only sidings havebeen provided with derailersbut thatjmy derailers are so related to eachother that neither on'e of them can be moved without suit-ably movingthe other; and not only this, but that they are switch points thatswitch point-s receive an appropriate movement answerable thereto. Thatis to say, of the tracks is opened fora train to pass the other is not 7only closed, but is also guarded by itsderailer to prevent any rollingstock from passing out'of the closed track to be Col": lided with by thecoming train, or from moving near enough to the end of the closedportion of track to be sideswiped by said train. For it must be borne inmind that not only is there the possibility, under ordinarycircumstances, of an engineer forgetting his orders and running out of a-closed track and splitting the switch points,

or of moving up too closeto the end ofthe switch, but rolling stock. ona-clos'ed track may be blown by a storm, or otherwise moved too near theend of the track' where it will be run into or sideswiped by a trainpassing on the open track.

In the drawings, I have shown a section of a main line of railway andone end of it cooperating siding provided with my Improvements. It is,of course nderstood that each end of the slding is provided with similarmechanism.

Referring to the drawings :--Figure 1', shows my cooperating .deraileron a railway I track in the position they. occupy when the main track isopen, their position when the switch is open being indicated in dot-tedlines. Fig. 2, is a top 'plan' view on an enlarged scale showing one ofmy derailers 'in operative relation to a rail,'with the pilot wheel of alocomotive about to run upon it. Fig. 3, is a transverse sectional viewof one of the derailers, showing it in operative relation to its supportand to the railway track, with a car wheel-approaching the derailer tobe derailed thereby.

I prefer to make my' derailers rights and lofts. since, as a rule, they.will be more durable, and certain in operation when const ucted in thatway; but I do not mean by 'factthat the leadin is the coeperation of thederailers. together;

this statement to divert attention from the idea of my invention so thatwhen theneed of meeting certain situations, as an entirety, is facepl,my derailers are complementary one to -he other; and it must be borne inmind that this is a very different thing, from simply having anindependent derailer in each track.

It should also be noted that in operation not only are my derailerscomplementary to each other, but their united action is alsocomplementary to that of the switch points.

The letter A indicates a main line of railway track, and B itscooperating siding.

The numeral 1 indicates the switch stand from which the switch pointsare operated, and this stand through. the mediation of the rod 2, thecrank 3, the rod 4:, the crank 5, and the rod 6 is operatively connectedwith the switch derailer 7 which in turn is connected by the rod 8 withthe main track derailer 9. The relation of these several parts to eachis such that the switch points and derailers" are always operatedsimultaneously; i. e.,*

no one of these can be operated Without suitably operating the other.

' In Fig. l, I have shown my derailers con- .nected together by a singlerod 8 but in.

practice it will often be found advisable to move the main trackderailer 9 farther up the main line from the switch points, in whichcase there will have to be a plurality of rods, cranks, etc., to formthe connection between thetwo derailers, and sometimes it may benecessary to change the whole arrangement of rods and cranks, but inevery case the arrangement must be such that when either ofthe'derailers is in operative position the other will be in inoperativeposition; and the derailers must be so related to the switch points thatwhen either track is opened and the other thereby closed, the derailerin the open track will be opened and the derailer in the closed trackclosed.

It will also sometimes be found advisable to so arrange the line ofconnection between wardly-and inwardly from theirrespective tracks, sothat if the operating mechanism this movement of' the derailers may notbe of the derailers gets broken they will have imparted to them acertain tendency to move away from their respective tracks into in-.operative position. In order, however, that so far as to bring theirrear ends too near thetracks where they would endanger passing trains, Iprovide the inclined blocks 7* and 8 with stop pins 10-and 11.

.In order to make more certain and posi-';

tive the movement of the derailers into in-- operative position,z;incase their operatlng .mechanism should' 'get broken, I provide them withthe tension springs 12 and 13 suitably attached thereto, and adapted to.

tached will be the ruling derailer in case the operating mechanismbetween the switch stand and the derailers gets broken; and

since it is usually more important to guard the main track derailer thanthe 'other, the stronger spring 13 is usually attachedtothe main trackdera ler. If then the connection between the switch stand and thederailers other, so that the derailer to which it is at- 4 is broken thefnain track derailer will be I certain to be-moved into inoperativeposition. If, in addition to this, the connection between the twoderailers is broken, then the side track derailer 7 -will also be drawninwardly by its individual spring. But so.

long as the rod 8 is intact the spring- 12 could be dispensed'with, forthrough this rod thederailer 7 would be operated'by the spring 13 of theruling derailer.

One of my derailers'is 'illustrat edlon an I enlarged scale, in planview, in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and in section in Fig. 3, and

as both derailers-are substantially alike 6X1 cept that they arepreferably rights and lefts, it is only necessary to describe one ofthem. i

From Fig. 2 it will be seen; that the derailer therein illustrated isprovided with front and rear ears 14 and 15, which'ad'apt it to besuitably engaged by the operating mechanism that shall be connectedtherewith from time to time as need may require.

Each of these ears is preferably provided with two openings, though as arule only one will be neede The projecting portion 16 7 of the deraileris adapted to overlie the top of the rail 17 when in operative position;and.

the rib or shoulder 18 at the front end of'the derailer strengthens itat that end where it first receives the impact of the -wheels and-servesto deflect the wheels from the rail.

The inclined support 9* is clearly shown in section in Fig. 3. Thissupport is pro- Vided with .a bore having a conical bottom 19, with anopening 20 leading down from its apex through the support, for purposesof drainage.

The derailer is provided in its side adjacent the rail with agroove 21adapted to receive the inner side of the rail. It also has an integralprojection 22 on its under side which fits the bore 19 of the support 9and terminates in a pin 23 carrying a cotter 24. in its lower end tosecurely hold the 'derailer in the support 9 upon which it rotates.

There is suflicient space between the cotter 24 and the under side ofthe support 9 to allow the derailer slight upward and downward play onits support to cause it to work perfectly.

As an illustration of the operation of my device let us suppose that atrain has entered the siding for a fast train to pass on the main track,let us say, coming from the left, and that the switch points andderailers are in the position shown in Fig. 1. Now, if, as the fasttrain just described, is

passing (from the left) on the main track,

the engineer in the siding should inadvertently attempt to follow toosoon and -be in danger of running into the point of the switch andgetting his engine sideswiped by the passing train, his engine would beditched. by the switch derailer. Again, it the parts are in the positionshown in Fig. 1 and empty cars are standing in-the siding they cannot bemoved by a storm, or other unforseen cause, near enough to the endo'tthe siding to be struck by a train passing on the main track, for theswitch. derailer would always be an unerring safeguard against such acontingency.

These derailers also altord a most convenient and ever ready means ofditching runaway trains.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In cooperating derailers, the combinationwith a main track and a cooperating siding, of a derailer for each trackand means for simultaneously operating said derailers. t

2. In cooperating derailers, the combine. tion with a main track and acooperating siding, oi right and left derailers for the respectivetracks, and means to: simultaneously operating said derailers. 3. Incoiiperating derailers, the combination with a main track andacooperating siding, of a derailer for each track, said derailers beingadapted to move simultane- -:-usly one into operative position and theother into inoperative position and vice versa; and operating mechanismfor said pair of cooperating derailers.

4. In cooperating derailers, the combina tion with a main track and acooperating siding, of a derailer for each track, said dorailers beingconnected together and arnected to one of said derailers and arranged tomove the same into inoperative position.

6. In cooperating derailers, the combination with a main track and acooperating siding, of a derailerin each track, said derailers beingconnected together to operate in. conjunction with each other; and aspring attached to each of said derailers to move it into inoperativeposition, oneof said springs being stronger than the other.. i

7. In cooperating derailers, the combination with a main track and acooperating siding, of a derailer for each track, said derailers beingconnected together to operate in conjunction with each other; operatingmechanism for the pair of derailers; and means for giving one of saidderailers con-' trol of the other in case said operatingmechanism isbroken or disconnected.

8. A derailer adapted to cooperate with a railway track, and meansdesigned to automatically move the derailer away from said track intoinoperative position, when the operating mechanism of the derailer isroken or disconnected.

9. A derailer adapted to cooperate with a railway track, and providedwith an inclined bearing, said derailer being rotatably mounted on saidinclined bearing.

10. A derailer adapted to cooperate with a railway track, and providedwith a spring adapted to move the derailer automatically away from the'track into inoperativeposition.

11. A derailer adapted to cooperate with a railway track and mounted ona support, havinga bore with a concave bottom, and an opening leadingdownwardly from the center of said bore, through said support fordrainage purposes; and a projection on the derailer fitting saidbearing.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

L. J; KIEFFER.

Witnesses Josue A. GORMAN, ANNA MEHL.

